Wellbeing : Little changes to make your week healthier

No matter what your daily adventure is, staying on top of your health can sometimes be tricky to fit into a busy week. Try out these seven little changes, maybe one for each day of the week, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier lifestyle!

1. Buy a decent water bottle

We all know we should drink more water, but sometimes we either just forget or are out and about and don’t want to spend money on a bottle! A brightly coloured and easy to carry reusable bottle will encourage you to stay hydrated (and save you money on all those shop runs!)

2. Cut out processed foods

We all do it. Grabbing a quick muffin from a café on the way to work or ordering a takeaway on those nights when you’re just too busy/tired to cook. Unfortunately, indulge in these quick fixes too often and you’ll start feeling sluggish and unhealthy. A good rule to follow is simply cutting out processed foods. You’ll feel much better with these one in no time at all!

3. Stand

That’s right, we need to stand more. Over the last couple of years, we’re beginning to hear that sitting is the new smoking - it’s that bad for you! If you have a particularly sedentary lifestyle, try standing for at least 15 minutes every hour. Whether that’s going for a quick walk, talking a trip to the photocopier or going outside to water your plants. Find a way to be a bit more active and it will get easier and easier every day.

4. Eat more vegetables

An oldie but a goodie. Try replacing pasta/rice/noodles with a big salad, cauliflower rice or some roasted veggies. You’ll still be full up but you’ll be getting loads more nutrients than you would with a carb-rich meal. Plus, your stomach will thank you for it as the veg will help with digestion and help get rid of bloating.

If you struggle with exercise, there are loads of options out there now to squeeze in a little bit of activity. Why not set yourself a small goal like 10 pushups and 10 sit-ups every morning before your shower and then build it up each week? Or instead of getting the train, try cycling to work instead. You could try a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout which can be done in as quickly as 10 minutes!

6. Prepare some healthy snacks

If you’re trying to be healthier, snacking can often be a tough area to tackle! Prepare some healthy snacks in advance (like a box of granola and yoghurt!) to take with you on your daily adventure. That way, you’ll not be tempted to grab a salty or sugary snack to keep you going.

7. Get a good night’s sleep!

Not getting a good night’s sleep? There’s an app for that! Just have a quick search on your usual app store and you’ll find some great apps out there such as Sleep Cycle which analyses your sleep patterns and helps make sure you wake up feeling rested.